Centuries
by Infinity Deku
Summary: Instead of Naofumi Iwatani being sent to Melromarc as the Shield Hero, he is instead offered a chance at a much better life. Though, becoming stronger and more powerful is pretty difficult when you have a goddess constantly begging for your money.
1. A Whole New World, A Dazzling Place

**Imagine a scenario in which Naofumi was given a much better chance at life than his unfortunate transfer into Melromarc as the Shield Hero. Instead, how about a world which gives Naofumi a more... fair opportunity? Let someone else deal with the corruption of _that _world. Today marks the day where Fate decides to throw Naofumi a bone.**

**Oh, and don't worry about Raphtalia or Filo. They too shall be spared.**

**I also want to make several notes here. One, since I think the magic system is too simplistic for my liking, besides pre-existing spells, I'm gonna work with DnD magic and Fairy Tail magic (excluding Celestial Magic) instead. Two, Kazuma will not make any appearance in this, nor will he even be mentioned (And no, Kazuma will not be the Shield Hero). Three, Naofumi will retain his usual cynical behavior instead of it being the hopeful and happy one that he used to have before becoming the Shield Hero.  
**

**But that is all for now. Talon, over and out.**

* * *

When Naofumi Iwatani was young, it was no secret that animals of all kinds just seemed so drawn to him.

No matter what animal it was, be it reptile or arachnid, Naofumi had no issue with them, even ones as dangerous as a Black Mamba. The large snake would make no moves to harm its carrier, but instead seemed to bask in his warmth. The Black Mamba actually seemed to enjoy being carried by this particular human. Experts could not even come close to figuring out why this phenomenon occurred.

Of course, that was simply an incident at the local zoo, but no human or animal was harmed in that event. That is... if you don't count Naofumi's parents being scared half to death. In fact, because of Naofumi's mutual love of animals, he was able to become successful in his endeavor to become a biologist, microbiologist, and zoologist, even gaining PhD's in all three of those studies. He had even been seen as a pioneer at the early age of twenty, with his breakthroughs changing what humans knew about the animal kingdom.

However, where there were those that appreciated his work, there were those that were envious of his talents.

Countless corporations had tried everything they could to discredit Naofumi and his work, mostly through the usages of criticism and propaganda, only to come up short due to lack of evidence and the fact that Naofumi's record was absolutely spotless.

But only one had gone so far as to make an attempt on his life.

And, unfortunately, that attempt would be the last.

* * *

Naofumi's eyes shot open and he woke with a start, his heart thrashing against his chest, threatening to split his torso open. Naofumi allowed himself some time to collect himself from his state of dismay in order to truly recognize his surroundings.

For one, he was sitting in what appeared to be a simple wooden chair, and the only visible object was a fancy chair in front of him, although it could also be called a modest throne.

If this was what the afterlife was...

"Well... here I am," Naofumi said, probably to himself as he tapped his foot impatiently. Waiting for what could be an interview with a celestial being in order to decide his place after his murder. Naofumi was never one to trust humans, even though he was one. A lot of the times, they just wanted something out of him.

And now he was dead simply due to jealousy of all the hard work he himself had made in his rather short life.

Naofumi would've continued to think on his past life were it not for the bright light that flashed in front of him. He shielded his eyes from the light. _How irritating..._

Naofumi looked beyond his arm to see what looked to be a woman(?), "You could've used door," Naofumi said irritably, though whether or not the woman(?) heard him or not he didn't know.

Getting a better look at the apparition that appeared to supposedly address him, the woman had light blue hair in which a portion of it was tied into a loop at the back (_is that actually a hairpin shaped like a water molecule?!). _She wore a small, dark-blue blouse and skirt combo alongside a pair of long, thigh-high boots.

She had this whole look in contrast to Naofumi's usual green vest, white dress shirt, black tie, gray slacks, and dark brown loafers.

"Ah, Naofumi Iwatani, welcome to the afterlife," said the woman. "It is unfortunate, but you have just recently passed away."

Naofumi rolled his eyes, "Oh, I'm well aware," Naofumi said sarcastically, noticing the woman grimaced at his tone. "You see, I was there."

The woman collected herself before settling down into the chair opposite to Naofumi, "Your life was a short one, but in fact, you are dead." The woman continued, with a voice that, to any normal person, sounded as if mourning him. But Naofumi noticed the slight drone in her voice, like she had rehearsed this line a thousand other times.

_Probably because she has._

"It is tragic, having your life cut short because of the greed and envy of others," the woman continued. "But enough of what happened in the past. I am Aqua, a goddess who guides humans who die young into the afterlife."

Naofumi's indifferent gaze didn't falter, actually unnerving Aqua to the point where she slightly cowered. This had got to be the scariest man she had to deal with.

Finally, Naofumi sighed, "I guess my only regret is that I have so much unfinished work and research to do, and that some random stooge is going to ruin it," Naofumi said, in which Aqua let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "So how is this going to work?"

"Well, you are presented two choices," Aqua started. "You can either be reincarnated into a new life and start at square one, or you can go to heaven and carry on like an old man."

Naofumi's face turned pensive, "I see... on one hand, ascending to heaven and resting does sound nice," Naofumi mused. "But on the other, being reincarnated and being able to continue my research sounds even better..."

As Naofumi continued to weigh his options, Aqua had begun panicking; she knew that a soul like Naofumi's would immediately become an angel if going to heaven, and she would gain nothing from having Naofumi reincarnated. So, she decided to take action to have her way.

"You never heard this from me, but heaven isn't exactly the dreamy place mortals believe it to be," Aqua said, almost as if gossiping like your average school girl.

"Really?" Naofumi asked, his eyes showing his distrust. "What makes you say that?"

"Well for one, there is no amount of entertainment in heaven and you won't have a physical body, so you cannot participate in any sexual action," Aqua explained, trying to push Naofumi's buttons. Though the fact that his distrustful gaze only continued to deepen made it painfully clear that Naofumi was dubious of her claims at best. "That and all the animals are simply reincarnated automatically, so there are no animals in heaven."

Naofumi's distrustful stare instantly turned hostile. His lips pulled down and his nose crinkled, these things turning into a snarl, as if he were a bear whose territory had been destroyed or violated.

Aqua almost had a heart attack.

"A-Anyways, being reincarnated yourself does not guarantee that you will live a better life and you are reborn with none of your memories from your past life," Aqua said with a nervous stutter unbecoming of a goddess. "That and the fact that animals gravitate towards you will be null and void. You won't be able to study animals as closely as you did in your past life."

Naofumi's hostile stare deepened, but it had let up with a sigh escaping from his lips, "Why are you telling me this?" Naofumi asked suspiciously. "You say all this as if you have an alternative."

Aqua's expression brightened up, "Exactly! I am providing an alternative!" Aqua said excitedly. "It is a third option only one in several million have, and you are that one."

Naofumi's face turned back into its normal neutral expression, "Interesting, and what exactly does this third option entail?"

"There is another world you may go to, a place where magic is commonplace," Aqua explained. "A place that had enjoyed relative peace for many generations; however, a Devil King has appeared from the woodwork, endangering the lives of innocents and disrupting the peace."

Naofumi rolled his eyes, "You do realize how cliche that situation is in most manga and anime, right?" Naofumi asked rhetorically. "'An ordinary person who died in an accident and is sent to a new world as that world's hero.' I've heard that a million times."

Aqua sighed, knowing this, "I know, but it is true," Aqua replied. "And yes, you can be reincarnated as that world's hero, but only if you choose to. Your freedom is assured and you may take whatever path you choose."

"Alright then," Naofumi said. "I guess I'll go with that, but why ask me? Aren't there other heroes that have had the chance to defeat him?"

Aqua's face turned solemn, "Yes and no. Those who were strong enough to oppose him have decided to not be reborn there after dying at his hands or the hands of his minions, thus, the number of souls that could stand against him is in decline, leaving this world as easy prey for the Devil King." Aqua explained.

Naofumi frowned, "That has got to be the most irresponsible thing anyone can do," Naofumi criticized. "So they die trying to fight a Devil King, have every opportunity to try again, and have decided to just feed that world to the wolves by rage-quitting like a fucking ten-year-old?! That's sick."

Aqua nodded, "Yes, as harrowing as that is, it is what it is," Aqua said. "So to work as an alternative, the goddesses of both worlds have decided to invite only the souls of the worthy to be reincarnated into this world, allowing them to retain both body and memories."

That garnered Naofumi's interest, "I see, but I don't have any strong or special traits to go up against something like that, at least not right now," Naofumi said, adopting a thinker pose. "If what you say about magic is true, then I'll have to train for an amount of time your world probably doesn't even have. For all we know, the Devil King has already begun his rampage."

Aqua nodded, "True, and that is why I'll give you a boon of your choosing; it could be anything, from an artifact of tremendous power, to a talent of unlimited potential," Aqua said, pulling out a stack of papers. "Here, take your pick!"

Naofumi took the papers into his hands and began to read, his brows raising more and more as he read, "Wow, these are pretty powerful," Naofumi complimented. "'The ability to disassemble and reassemble any object the user touches,' sounds decent, but I'm more interested in..."

Naofumi had trailed off his words as he began reading in his head, though Aqua had become more and more annoyed by how long this soul was taking.

"Could you please choose quickly? All of that is pretty much the same," Aqua said irritably, trying to speed up things. She didn't liking being away from her fancy suite in heaven.

However, Aqua froze when Naofumi fixed her a withering glare that burned holes through her eyes. If looks could kill, Aqua might've been turned to ash, goddess or not.

"This is one of, if not _the_ most, life-changing decisions I could ever hope to make," Naofumi snarled. "Patience is a virtue, and goddesses are meant to be virtuous beings, are they not?"

Aqua felt rooted to the spot, "H-Hey! I am virtuous! I am a goddess!" Aqua shouted like a spoiled child.

Naofumi's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, "To be blunt, I don't believe that first part for a second."

Simply put, Aqua felt attacked. Sighing, knowing that Naofumi was right in the long run, she summoned a bowl of potato chips and just sat cross-legged in her seat.

This was going to take a while.

* * *

Hours had past and Naofumi was now sitting on the floor, paper scattered around him in a wide circle. It had gotten to the point where Aqua was actually asleep, her empty chip bowl being suspended only by her index finger. One leg was situated onto the floor while the other was laid haphazardly across the arm of her chair. Such a position exposed what was underneath her skirt, or really, lack thereof. Naofumi had looked up to see if Aqua was still awake or not, only to see something that had pretty much burned into his retinas.

Naofumi swiftly kept his eyes on his current task, while also working up enough of his willpower to not continue staring. It was working so far and the content on the papers was interesting enough to help in this endeavor. Naofumi vowed to himself, both as a human being and as a male, that he would never peek on a girl, especially in her sleep.

Biting his lip, Naofumi had sifted through his twenty-fourth sheet (yes, he counted), only for his eyes to land on something that sounded immensely interesting.

_Magic: __Crush._

_A very advanced Magic which gives the user the ability to smash everything they come into contact with. If the user is unfocused, they may destroy objects such as houses unintentionally._

_Crush has various offensive and defensive properties. Using its inherent nature of being able to crush anything it comes into contact with, the user is able to nullify the effects of certain Magics by smashing them to pieces, occasionally exemplified by the crushed substance, be it Magic or living being, becoming separated into numerous cubes._

_By imbuing their fist with Crush, the user is able to send an enemy flying numerous meters with incredible force. It is also capable of being fired as a burst of energy at the opponent. This Magic can also be utilized effectively as a defensive means. For example, by crushing the ground underneath them, the user is able to create a cushion of sorts against enemy attack. It is also possible for Crush to be used as a deflective barrier, sending an assailant flying backwards when they come into contact with it._

Such a power was very interesting to Naofumi and had trumped all the others. Crush's potential in any scenario and the sheer versatility it offered was too good to pass up. Not only that, but Crush Magic was without element, so no one can have any elemental resistance to it.

For once, Naofumi smiled, "Okay, I've decided," Naofumi finally announced, looking up towards Aqua. However, he was, once again, swift to turn his gaze downwards.

Aqua woke with a start, "Huh... wuh-oh! You've finally decided!" Aqua said, beaming. Finally, after all this time, Naofumi had decided what he wanted. "Crush Magic, huh? Oh yeah, that will work wonderfully!"

"However!" Naofumi said, pointing a finger at Aqua.

"What is it this time?!" Aqua shrieked, unable to keep her impatience hidden.

"I have a couple conditions I need fulfilled before I go to this world," Naofumi said. He then looked upwards. "Anyone hearing this?"

Much to both Naofumi's and Aqua's surprise, a younger looking girl with angelic wings descended from a pillar of light. She smiled at Aqua serenely before turning to address Naofumi.

"Ah, yes, the worthy soul," the angel girl said. "You say you have certain conditions, yes?"

Naofumi nodded, "Yes, I hope you can at least hear me out?"

Angel Girl nodded, "I can fulfill any request within reason, if it be in our power," Angel Girl replied.

Naofumi smiled, "Thank you," Naofumi replied before getting to his requests. "For one, I don't know what kind of world I'm going to be thrown into, so I need basic understanding of both the world's currencies as well as an encyclopedia on the world's customs, cultures, and traditions."

The angel girl mulled over Naofumi's request before smiling, "It can be done, anything else?"

"I would also like to acquire knowledge of the world's languages, both spoken and written," Naofumi continued. "I would also like a small sum of each different currency, somewhere around three hundred pieces of cash from the currencies of each country to get me started. I don't want to enter the world completely penniless. The rest of the cash I'll have to earn. If that's okay?"

"Certainly, I like a potential hero who likes to stay prepared," Angel Girl said before waving a hand. A large, red book with a leather strap appeared into Naofumi's hands with a bag of what sounded like coins. "While there are no other currencies in the world, I'm giving you three hundred copper Eris."

Naofumi nodded, "Thank you for fulfilling my requests," Naofumi said gratefully before stepping into the magic circle, ready to be transported.

"You are quite welcome," Angel Girl replied. She watched with satisfaction as Naofumi disappeared into particles of light before those particles disappeared. "Now for you..."

Aqua looked up at the angel, confused, "What about me?"

"Well, I know this is sudden, but it was decided by the higher-ups that you will descend to the mortal realm to give divine aid," Angel Girl said, much to the dread of the goddess. "In return, once the Devil King has been defeated, you'll return to us with a higher rank as reward."

"No! I don't want to go there!" Aqua kept screaming and banging on the walls of the magic circle, obviously afraid of setting foot in the mortal world.

Her pleading fell upon deaf ears. Aqua was then enveloped in light and transported to the other world, a world where they'll have to learn a lot of what it means to be a hero, what it means to be a friend, and what is the meaning of being human. As the light faded, the angel looked at the empty chairs, and gave a longing sigh.

"Please, oh radiant one, teach divinity to that failure of a goddess." The angel softly prayed, wanting the best for who was her superior not too long ago, and wishing for the day Naofumi Iwatani will gain his wings, as she, and many others were waiting for him in heaven.

* * *

**And that about wraps it up for the first chapter. I had played with this idea in my head so many times to the point where I was just like, "Fuck it."**

**Crush Magic is, you guessed it, a type of powerful magic in Fairy Tail, primarily used by Gildarts Clive, one of the Fairy Tail guild's previous Guild Masters and S-Ranked Wizards.**


	2. Too Bright!

_What is it with the afterlife and bright lights?!_

This was Naofumi's first thought as he rubbed his eyes. Honestly, if this was how magical transportation in this world worked, then Naofumi was going to have some choice words with the creator(s).

"Honestly, can't they just make an inter-dimensional doorway or something like that?" Naofumi asked no one irritably. "Hell, I'd even accept a dramatic ring of fire and sparks, for fuck's sake."

After finally gaining a grasp on his ability to actually see (at least whatever was two meters in front of him), Naofumi was greeted by the sight of a field of bright, green grass. Naofumi looked up to see that he was laying under a semi-large tree, in which sunlight seeped through the pinpricks between each leaf. Taking in some of the air (_it's very pure, at least compared to Japan's air quality), _Naofumi sighed in content.

_Well, this is my life now. May as well-_

However, Naofumi was blinded again by another flash of light.

_Okay, what the fuck?! Stop it with the lights!_

Though, before Naofumi could regain his sight (again), Naofumi felt something both soft and heavy fall on his face with what sounded like a girl screaming. Naofumi grunted from the impact.

Naofumi found that scream actually familiar.

Naofumi had finally gotten the dancing spots out of his vision... only to be greeted by the sight of the same goddess that sent him here in the first place. Though, he only recognized Aqua by the clothing because he couldn't see her actual face. In fact, the only bits of clothing he _could _see was the hem of Aqua's skirt.

But... that would mean that the soft objects that were pressed firmly against his face were...

"Aqua?! Get the fuck off of me!" Naofumi roared, his face a lovely shade of crimson and the same could be said for Aqua, who had just realized that she was sitting on Naofumi.

"KYAAAAAA!" Aqua shrieked before jumping off the enraged demon that was Doctor Naofumi Iwatani. "Pervert!"

Naofumi looked at Aqua indignantly, "I'm the pervert?! _You're_ the one who'd decided to land on my face ass first!"

Aqua sputtered excuses that fell upon deaf ears. Naofumi simply sighed in relief, though he knew with Aqua along, his new goal to become this world's hero was going to be so much harder.

Naofumi could only hope that Aqua would be useful in this endeavor.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Naofumi asked suspiciously. "I thought you had other 'worthy souls' to contend to."

"I-I-I d-did!" Aqua stuttered.

"Then why are you here?" Naofumi asked, suspicion in his eyes and tone of voice.

"I-I don't know!"

Naofumi sighed, knowing that this was going absolutely nowhere, "Well, first, take a minute to breathe for fuck's sake," Naofumi said. "No use crying when we have things on the agenda."

Aqua pouted, not liking the fact that she was being ordered around by a mortal, but she did as told.

"Good, now that you're stable, I say we head to that town over there and see if we can be accepted into a fighter's organization, or at the very least a military or militia," Naofumi said, though he felt trepidation at the possibility of having to group up with people.

Naofumi had never liked having to form groups or become a part of one and only did so if absolutely necessary, though this had stemmed from his loneliness when he was a child.

As a biologist, he knew that, of course, animals naturally form packs and that humans were social animals. Carnivores form social hierarchies in their packs, those that fail to become alphas harbor the burden of failure until they die. Naofumi was sure herbivores felt guilt whenever they sacrificed their comrades to evade their predators and live on. In any world, most of the time, forming packs yields no benefit for the individual. Thus Naofumi had chosen the way of the solitary bear, which does not form packs. The bear finds no anxiety in living alone. He is proud. He is a lone wolf. Furthermore, they hibernate in the winter.

_How wonderful that must be. _

Though, if the Devil King was as powerful as Aqua claimed, then defeating the Devil King would require multiple people, if not a whole army, by default. Going about that task alone would be both absolutely stupid and suicidal.

If Naofumi dies in this attempt, it then left the question of whether or not Naofumi actually had an opportunity to be reincarnated and try again. Will he succeed? Maybe. Will he fail? Maybe. Will he simply be replaced by another worthy candidate in case of said failure? Maybe.

Naofumi did _not _trifle with maybes.

So Naofumi would be presented with no other choice but to switch from his bear-like lifestyle and adopt the way of the wolf, who finds no fault in forming a pack. After all, wolves formed packs in order to reel in any prey larger than themselves.

_Well, perhaps there is an adventurer's guild or something along those lines here?_

Naofumi opened up his encyclopedia, this time looking over to see Aqua tracing a random shape in the dirt with an index finger, expressing her apparent depression.

He sighed, exasperated. Not his circus, not his monkeys.

Naofumi opened up the book (which was strangely titled _KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! Wiki)_ and turned to the table of contents in order to find the list of locations.

According to the book, the town in front of him was called Axel.

_Axel is a town in Belzerg where occupants are mostly beginner adventurers. It is known as one of the most peaceful, albeit strange, locations in all of the kingdom. The city does not suffer from starvation or food shortages because it lies on a major migration route, has an early warning system in terms of when crops will attack, and benefits from the large standing army of adventurers to "harvest" said crops._

Naofumi stared at the last sentence in confusion.

_Crops actually attack people? That has got to be the strangest thing I've ever heard._

Naofumi shook his head as he continued reading.

_Its importance lies mainly because of where it is situated. Surrounding the city are great amounts of beginner-friendly mobs that make for easy leveling for adventurers, such as the giant toads and goblins. Generally, people will grind up to somewhere between the early and mid twenties of these monsters, and then move on to other locations such as the front lines of the war, but with the advent of the Succubus Cafe, this has changed, there having been a good amount of male adventurers who will stay within Axel into the mid thirties and even into level forty._

At the first few sentences, Naofumi snorted at the sheer amount video game jargon that was written here (perhaps so that he may understand it better? Did this world actually have a leveling system?). But then...

_The fuck is a Succubus Cafe?_

Naofumi gave that sentence an incredulous stare.

...

"No." Simply put. Naofumi, with his expression more deadpan than usual, shut the book closed. He then placed the book's leather strap over his shoulder for easy carrying.

However, upon taking the first step, his foot hit something.

Looking down, Naofumi was quite surprised to see a semi-large, leather satchel with a note attached to one of the belts. Picking up the note, Naofumi began to read.

_Radiant One,_

_Those of Us in Heaven were moved by your willingness to help us and the mortal realm in an age of perpetual strife, even when presented options that would've assured a more peaceful existence. However, Those of Us in Heaven have heard your complaint about, and we quote, 'some random stooge' ruining your life's work. Along with that, we also understand that becoming stronger to face one of the most powerful beings can become very stressful, and we would like to give you these as a token of our gratitude._

Naofumi, curious, opened up the satchel...

_Gasp!_

Naofumi gingerly picked up what looked to be a standard notebook. Naofumi felt the edges of his lips twitch upwards as he pulled out another notebook, both notebooks in his hands in mint condition.

To think, they would actually go so far as to retrieve Naofumi's research and all his life's work into this new world with him.

But what about...

Naofumi hurriedly read the rest of the note.

_Alongside that, Those of Us in Heaven have decided to also bring your animals into the New World (though some of our female angels got a little squeamish handling Achilles). When you head into the city of Axel, there is a residence just next to the Adventurer's Guild that is closed off to everyone but yourself. Alongside this note, you will find a key. Secondly, we realized that the entry fee for the adventurer's guild is around one thousand copper Eris, so we've added some extra Eris to the amount you already have. Forgive us for this oversight._

_However, this all comes at a cost._

_It is no secret that Aqua has been behaving childishly as opposed to other deities. Such behavior is unbecoming of a goddess of her station, as you yourself have pointed out. As such, Those of Us in Heaven have decided that Aqua is to be your traveling companion in the hopes that you can teach Aqua some level of maturity. _

_Sincerely, Eris, Goddess of Fortune._

_Post Scriptum: We apologize, it was not our intention to make Aqua fall on you. That was a technical error on our end._

Naofumi deadpanned. _Somehow I doubt that._

But still, the fact that his animals were here in the new world with him. Now some idiot won't have to look after them.

"Hey, Aqua, you're coming with me," Naofumi said, turning to the goddess in question.

Aqua slowly turned to face Naofumi with a pout, "And why should I?"

"Well, according to this note, Eris, the goddess of fortune, says that you are to be my companion in the hopes that you learn maturity," Naofumi replied. "Together, we become stronger, defeat the Devil King, I can go about continuing my research, and you can head back to heaven with the promise of a higher rank. Sound fair?"

"... okay," Aqua finally replied with a depressed frown, knowing very well that she had sent countless people into this path, but too many have failed.

But, even with having to be this mortal's companion, Aqua at least understood that she could potentially get lost without said mortal. So, she decided to follow him.

Naofumi sighed for the umpteenth time, knowing this was going to be long and harrowing.

_Well, forward march, I guess._

* * *

Entering through Axel's main gate, Naofumi and Aqua were greeted to the sight of a traditional medieval town, except it was a lot more lively and not riddled with famine and starved citizens.

To Naofumi's keen eyes, he noticed that everyone was relatively healthy at least. In fact, there were no signs of any slums or anything of the sort. No beggars, either.

However, as much as Naofumi wished every medieval town was like how Axel appeared, Naofumi was somewhat suspicious of the absences of slums and beggars.

_Was every citizen that worked here just that well off?_

However, Naofumi remembered that Axel has never suffered food shortages due to being on a major animal migration route.

_Right, right. No shortage of animals to hunt. The more of something you have, the less you have to pay for it._

And speaking of animals...

_First things first, I need to find my animals._

Thankfully, after asking for directions from a couple so sweet and happy that Naofumi nearly had a heart attack, Naofumi had finally gotten to the Adventurer's Guildhall. Next to it was a large, Victorian style home.

_Screech! Screech!_

_Woof!_

Such a sound was music to Naofumi's ears, and such music brought unshed tears to Naofumi's eyes. Smiling in pure joy, Naofumi fished out the gold key that went along with the note from Eris. Though, Naofumi had to hold in his laughter from the fact that the key was shaped like Hello Kitty. Turning the key through the knob, Naofumi wasted no time entering, with Aqua tailing him, curious as to what creatures Naofumi researched.

While Naofumi smiled in pure joy, Aqua's eyes turned to pin pricks.

The first thing that greeted Aqua's poor eyes was a tarantula, one whose carapace was a reddish brown and with especially hairy legs. Coloration indicated that it was a Chilean rose, or rose hair tarantula.

"Ah, Achilles!" Naofumi exclaimed as he put his index finger on Achilles' glass box. Much to Aqua's shock and horror, Achilles brought up on of his front legs and placed it on the glass, right where Naofumi's finger was. It was as if they were bonding.

Naofumi's smile brightened from the action of his only tarantula. However, before he could do anything else, Naofumi heard both Aqua scream and...

_Bark!_

Naofumi's eyes shined as he turned around. He was greeted by the amusing sight of a Siberian husky with vivid green eyes licking Aqua's face, happily panting before it turned to Naofumi.

"Amaroq!" Naofumi exclaimed before jogging to the husky. Amaroq barked before running to Naofumi, in which both man and man's best friend embraced each other. Naofumi and Amaroq shared a moment to bask in each other's presence, having been away from each other for what felt like an eternity.

"Aah, I'll have to thank Eris for all this," Naofumi said to himself. Inspecting the place, Naofumi noticed that everything was separated between land and sea creatures, as well as a small section for amphibians.

Though, Naofumi didn't have a whole menagerie of animals. He had somewhere around seven different animals, Achilles and Amaroq included. Naofumi had once jokingly called them the Seven Deadly Sins.

Achilles was named due to the fact that he had especially hairy legs, because the Greek hero Achilles was invulnerable on every part of his body except his heel. Amaroq was named after a type of wolf in Inuit mythology, said to be gigantic in size, did not form packs, and often consumed hunters foolish enough to hunt at night. Though, the Arctic peoples referred to any wolf as _amaroq, _or _amarok._

Grinning, Naofumi walked over to find a thick, leather glove. Slipping the glove over his hand, Naofumi whistled.

"What are you doing?" Aqua asked irritably as she wiped off the canine saliva from her face.

Aqua was answered by the sound of beating, feathered wings, signaling an avian had decided to take flight upon Naofumi's command. Flying from a wooden perch, a large, brownish owl silently glided onto Naofumi's gloved hand.

"Ah, Daedalus," Naofumi greeted. Daedalus screeched in return before grooming himself. Daedalus swiveled his head around in order to stare intently at Aqua, who looked very unnerved.

"Well, now that I know Eris wasn't lying, I'm gonna register for the adventurer's guild," Naofumi said. "Hey, Aqua, I would suggest you do the same. Perhaps with your abilities as a goddess, you could do some incredible things for the people here."

One thing Naofumi knew any deity, Aqua especially, had a weakness for, it was praise. Especially from mortals due to their power stemming from the belief of said mortals. And considering Aqua was the most childish and immature out of any god or goddess he's ever had the displeasure of meeting, Aqua could be lured to do anything if it meant she would be praised.

"Okay, fine," Aqua grumbled, doing her best to wipe off the canine saliva off of her face.

* * *

Entering the guild hall, Naofumi noticed just how absolutely generic it looked.

Everything looked like your average guild hall from any role-playing game you could get your hands on. There was, of course, a bar, a request board, and several tables nearly filled to the brim with adventurers of all stripes. Though Naofumi was saddened to see that there weren't any exotic races. You know, lizard folk, cat folk, elves, maybe a dwarf here and there...

Either way, Naofumi entered through, relaxing every muscle on his face. Naofumi wouldn't trust anyone. If anyone wanted his trust, they were going to have to earn it one way or another.

"Where do I register?" Naofumi asked evenly, his jaw set. No nonsense. No small talk. To the point, straighter than an arrow.

Several hands pointed towards a counter to Naofumi's right. Naofumi turned his sights towards a blonde receptionist, who found herself unnerved by Naofumi's stare.

"H-Hello, are you here to register?" the receptionist, Luna, asked, though she stuttered as she felt Naofumi's eyes penetrate through her skull. Luna took note of the fact that Naofumi eyes didn't once travel downwards, as most eyes normally do. And even those that tried to keep their eyes on hers still visibly struggled.

Naofumi made it look immensely easy.

"I'm here to register as a member of this guild," Naofumi replied, his voice being cold and apathetic as if by nature.

Luna shuddered.

"S-Sure, at this hall we offer jobs to the registered adventurers, ranging from simple gathering tasks to monster exterminations, all of these are properly ranked in difficulty, danger and reward," Luna explained, though she gulped as Naofumi kept his eyes solely on her. "Registering is quite simple, as you only need to cover an entry fee and this magical artifact will do the registration."

Naofumi simply pulled out a large bag of coins and set them on the table. Luna didn't appear bothered by the gesture and simply placed the bag behind her counter.

"Now that the entry fee has been paid, place your hand on this artifact and the artifact will write down your adventurer card," Luna said, presenting an orb with a clockwork apparatus. "Please, don't lose your card."

Placing his hand on the strange contraption, Naofumi watched in subdued fascinated as the orb created lasers that etched a sort of print onto a blank card, something like a modern laser printer from his old world.

"Alright then, now I shall relay your current stats," Luna said. "Hmm, this is very impressive! Your Intelligence and Wisdom stats are completely maxed out!"

_Well, I am a doctor with a couple PhD's._

"Your Luck stat is also relatively higher than normal, though that is unimportant to adventurers."

_What's so bad about being lucky?_

"Your Strength is also a bit above average, but nowhere near as impressive as your Intelligence or Wisdom."

_Again, doctor. I kept myself in shape._

"And everything else is normal," Luna said, her surprise being shared. "And your mana count is in... what?! Seven billion?!"

Silence.

"S-Seven billion?!"

"What kind of monster is he?!"

"Not even the most powerful Arch Mages have _that _much mana!"

Murmurs of bewilderment permeated throughout the room while Naofumi looked only slightly impressed. Aqua stared at Naofumi as if such a number went against everything she thought she knew about the world.

_Huh, I wonder if my Crush Magic has anything to do with that._

"But, absolutely absurd mana count aside, you can pick from any of the following classes," Luna said before presenting the list to Naofumi.

Cleric. Exorcist. Arch Priest. Wizard. Arch Wizard. Druid. Arch Druid. Rogue. Adventurer. Right, the book said that the world had its own leveling and skill system.

Naofumi had, once again, made a commotion from the fact that he was able to pick an Advanced Class right off the bat.

"Arch Druid?! Arch Priest?! Arch Wizard?!" Luna exclaimed, not believing what she was seeing. "Just who are you?!"

Naofumi stared at Luna blankly, "Naofumi Iwatani, PhD."

Luna blinked owlishly, "Forgive my ignorance, but what does PhD stand for?"

"Doctor of Philosophy, PhD is a simplified form of the title," Naofumi replied simply, assuming that such a title was either non-existent in this world, or...

"He's a Doctor of Philosophy?!"

"But he looks so young! How did he get such a title at such a young age?!"

Luna, disbelief written on her face, looked back at Naofumi's adventurer card. And, sure enough...

_Naofumi Iwatani, Doctor of Philosophy._

To think someone of such status was gracing their presence. This sorta explained why his stats and attributes were much higher than any normal adventurer.

"I-I see," Luna said before bowing. "We welcome you, Doctor!"

Naofumi, while he didn't show it, was immensely confused. Though the respect he was receiving right now wasn't unwelcome, he didn't get this level of respect from the title alone.

In countries like Japan or China, a recipient of doctorate in disciplines such as engineering and pharmacy where professional degrees are usually awarded in the western countries, is called a PhD regardless. It is not uncommon that the person's title or diploma be translated into English as PhD in that discipline. In countries like Japan, where Naofumi was obviously from, the distinction between professional doctorates and PhD's is less significant.

Still, Naofumi had learned to never look a gift horse in the mouth. As for what class he was going to pick...

Naofumi immediately cast aside Cleric, Exorcist, and Arch Priest. He wasn't the religious type. While he _did _respect things like the Judeo Christian Ethic, as well as the Eastern Philosophies, and, of course, the teachings of Muhammad, Naofumi found that organized religion was largely responsible for corrupting these types of beliefs in order to justify countless atrocities throughout history.

Were Naofumi to take those classes, he would be a hypocrite. That and Aqua would most likely hound him into worshiping her in order for his abilities to become stronger. No, if Aqua wanted people to devote themselves to her, she was gonna have to earn that through her own deeds.

Both Rogue and Adventurer were also out of the picture because Naofumi wasn't really into martial classes and Adventurer would mean that he would potentially be spending on aspects of a single class type for more points than what was necessary. Wizard and Arch Wizard sounded overused, plain and simple.

But Naofumi was the most interested in Druid and Arch Druid.

Allies to beasts, manipulators of nature, and known as the servants of philosophical balance, the often misunderstood protectors of the wild strive to shield their lands from all who would threaten them and prove the might of the wilds to those who lock themselves behind city walls. Rewarded for there devotion with incredible powers, Druids gain unparalleled shape-shifting abilities, the power to call upon nature's wrath, and, best of all, the companionship of mighty beasts. The mightiest of Druids, specifically Arch Druids, temper powers akin to storms, earthquakes, and volcanoes with primeval wisdom long abandoned and forgotten by civilization.

Naofumi had once thought what the point was in getting Crush Magic if he could simply call upon a storm and rain lightning on his enemies_._

_Actually, I could use my Druid abilities to add as a buff to any animal companions I may have while using Crush as my main source of attacking. I could also use some of my passive Druid abilities for the sake of survival. After all, Druids work best and practically thrive off of harsh conditions._

Without hesitation, Naofumi picked Arch Druid.

* * *

_An hour later..._

Naofumi was sitting in one of the empty tables, studying the skills he could receive with what skill points he had. While he was an Arch Druid already, he still needed to spend skill points to gain access to certain abilities.

Naofumi had looked over to see that Aqua herself had started another commotion due to pretty much all her attributes being maxed out, though Naofumi snickered when it was announced that Aqua's Intelligence and Luck were lower than normal.

_Let's have a look at abilities that I already have._

As a beginner Druid, Naofumi would normally have two Cantrips, special magic spells that can be cast at will without having to prepare said spell in advanced. However, since he was an Arch Druid right out the gate, Naofumi could learn four Cantrips. Additionally, as an Arch Druid, Naofumi was level twenty by default, since it would normally require being level twenty to be an Arch Druid in the first place.

But with starting Proficiencies, Naofumi could wear any light or medium armor that was not made of metal. The same could be said for shields.

_I guess my best option would be to spend my Eris on some hardened leather armor, or perhaps scale or coarse fur._

The types of weapons that Naofumi could wield were clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaves, scimitars, sickles, slings, and spears.

_Yeah, no. I'll probably have a spare dagger on me just in case, but I won't be employing it in combat most of the time. That and everything else sounds like a pain in the ass to carry around._

As for starting tools, he would always carry an herbalist kit with him. The kit contained a variety of instruments such as clippers, mortar and pestle, and pouches and vials used by herbalists to create remedies and potions. Proficiency with this kit would allow Naofumi to add his proficiency bonus to any ability checks he makes to identify or apply herbs. Also, proficiency with this kit was required to create antitoxins and any potion of healing.

_That will definitely be useful in the long run._

And finally, Naofumi was automatically given Arcana, Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Religion, and Survival due to his automatic advancement onto the Arch Druid class.

However, the trademark ability of the Arch Druid was the skill Wild Shape. Or, really, Naofumi could use this ability as many times as he wished.

_Studying animals is already what I love most about my career. But actually _becoming _an animal?_

Naofumi found himself grinning like a maniac.

_This is gonna be better than I thought!_

* * *

**And thus begins the story of anime and manga's ultimate THOT slayer. Hope y'all enjoyed.**


	3. Second Year Syndrome

**Yay! Back at it again at Krispy Kreme!**

**Also, I want to say that a lot of this story is largely inspired by Magnus' story "Blessed with a Hero's Heart," and that you may find dialogue as seen in said story. That is mainly because there is some dialogue that was also directly from KonoSuba, considering KonoSuba crossovers are scarce. One such example is Megumin's speech when she makes her appearance.**

**Besides, I've never actually watched KonoSuba, so I'm going by a lot of Magnus' chronology and terminology. So you can expect major similarities.**

* * *

Doubtless, this was the greatest, most life-changing decision Naofumi Iwatani, PhD had ever made.

The Arch Druid class held so many strengths and merits and, combined with Crush Magic and his absurd mana count, Naofumi was able to experiment with the many abilities he had at his disposal.

Not only that, but Naofumi was given the choice between different Circles for the Druid.

The Circle he pick was the Circle of the Shepherd.

Druids of the Circle of the Shepherd communed with the spirits of nature, especially the spirits of beasts and the fey, and call to those spirits for aid. These Druids recognize that all living things play a role in the natural world, yet they focus on protecting animals and fey creatures that have difficulty defending themselves. Shepherds, as they are known, see such creatures as their charges. They ward off monsters that threaten them, rebuke hunters who kill more prey than necessary, and prevent civilization from encroaching on rare animal habitats and on sites sacred to the fey.

However, as much as Naofumi was a firm believer in unraveling the mysteries of the world, Naofumi was a much firmer believer in safety and that some things are best left alone. Though Aqua was continually annoyed by Naofumi's hesitance to take a job at the request board.

Naofumi felt a brow twitch in frustration as Aqua had continued to complain while he experimented with one ability he thought was safe enough; Good Berry. It was a very effective survival skill that would ensure that neither Naofumi nor his potential teammates will starve. Because Good Berry was both filling and was immensely juicy, it could also keep its consumer hydrated. Alongside that, it also had a minor healing property, which could present itself well in an emergency when first aid supplies are running low. And with another skill, Plant Growth, Naofumi would be able to grow Good Berries from any plant, as long as it wasn't poisonous. That would result in making a poisonous berry that could be used to make poison to coat the business end of any weapon to inflict more damage.

All of this had led to Naofumi actually making a necklace made from braided plant stems with a good amount of leaves. The plant stems would never die and stay in upmost condition when in contact with Naofumi, since his Green Thumb skill allowed him to make plants grow faster and make them more healthy whenever they remained in physical contact with him.

This, in turn, meant that Naofumi had a nigh infinite supply of Good Berries, nutritional values and all.

_I'm appalled that no one actually uses such a useful ability besides other Druids. Back it my world, a power like this could potentially solve world hunger. The nerve of them..._

Naofumi had thought this bitterly as he watched a few arrogant adventurers making advancements on poor Luna. All they ever cared about was swinging a heavy metal stick and look good while doing it.

"Why won't you pick a job already?! It shouldn't be that hard, you have an ability, you learn what the ability does, and then you use it," Aqua complained irritably. "Didn't you play games when you were younger?"

"It's because I want to gauge the power of my abilities _before _I employ them out in the line of combat," Naofumi explained. "I don't want to die or jeopardize the livelihoods of innocent people under my care because I didn't know how to successfully use my own power."

"But it's so simple! I mean, I'm confidant that my own power will work one hundred percent of the time!" Aqua boasted with a grin.

Naofumi fixed her with a glare, "Are you willing to bet the world on that?"

Aqua cowered under the heat of his stare, finding no answer.

"Besides, power is useless in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use it," Naofumi said sagely. It was a rather popular phrase that, apparently, no one had ever heard before, which, again, irritated Naofumi to no end.

Naofumi glared as the situation with Luna and the adventurers began to grow worse. _Typical of humans. They take their own gifts for granted and would only think about themselves when their actions could impact the livelihoods of innocent people._

_Now I'm starting to see why the Devil King hasn't made any actions to screw these people over. He doesn't even _need _to._

So... why was he here again?

"C'mon, hot stuff, we're just lookin' for a good time," said possibly the most brutish looking of the group. The others laughed in agreement while Luna looked so thoroughly unamused that it put Naofumi's deadpan to shame.

_That has got to be the most cliche thing you could say to a woman. Though, perhaps I should diffuse the situation before shit hits the-_

Naofumi wasn't even given the chance to move when the brutish one put a hand on Luna's shoulder, only for Luna to grab his wrist and _crush every single bone_ with a sickeningly sweet smile. The brutish one squealed like the pig he was in pure agony, kneeling as Luna applied even more pressure and thus breaking and splintering more parts of his arm.

_... fan._

Simply put, while all the other adventurers and Aqua cowered in obvious terror, Naofumi was immensely impressed.

"Touch me again and some future archaeologists will be _thrilled _to find your boots," Luna warned, her sweet smile remained while the group of thugs cowered in fear. "Do you understand?"

The brutish one nodded hysterically. Finally, Luna let go of him. In that instant, the brutish one ran as far from the place as he could with Thing One and Thing Two following.

_Well, at least that's over._

* * *

Finally, it was time for a field test.

Luna had recommended Naofumi and Aqua take a job in which they would eliminate a couple giant toads. The giant toads were considered a local pest problem that was only relevant during their mating season, in which they would swallow people and livestock whole to gather the necessary strength and nutrients in order to properly reproduce.

Naofumi still had his trepidation in killing animals that was just following their instincts, but still, they shouldn't eat defenseless people.

Perhaps they could find a way to steer them in a different direction, maybe give them some of their livestock as an offering? They did have livestock in abundance...

But that didn't matter when Aqua was being uncooperative.

"AQUA! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HELP ME!" Naofumi roared furiously while Aqua continued to laugh. Naofumi's Crush-enhanced attacks didn't seem to faze the giant toad, though Naofumi was using Crush to the bare minimum and he didn't expect the toads to be weak anyways.

Aqua was still laughing at the fact that Naofumi's attacks did nothing.

"STOP LAUGHING AND ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING USEFUL FOR ONCE, YOU PISS POOR EXCUSE OF A GODDESS!" Naofumi yelled again at the still laughing goddess. Aqua said she would help, but had started listing demands that Naofumi honestly wasn't even bothered to hear, but Naofumi noticed that, for some reason, Aqua had attracted the monster's attention.

It wasn't long before Aqua was chomped down on by the toad, who lifted its head up with Aqua in its jaws in order for gravity to aid it in swallowing the goddess. Aqua shrieked and screamed from within the toad's mouth.

_Shit!_

Naofumi's first instinct was to imbue his fist with as much of his Crush Magic as he could, enhancing his strength. A snow white aura circled his entire arm. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, Naofumi _slammed _his fist into the toad's stomach.

With Naofumi using his fist as a make-shift Heimlich Maneuver, the impact caused the toad to wheeze and spit Aqua out. Aqua landed on the grass rather harshly, covered in toad saliva.

Naofumi stared at the toad with irritated and furious eyes. The toad actually felt rooted to the spot under his stare.

Naofumi's evergreens turned a cold blue.

_I don't have time for this._

After practicing with Naofumi's safer spells, Naofumi had been dying to try Wild Shape. Though Naofumi couldn't turn into a monsters that existed in this world, he _could _turn into things like standard wildlife.

_But what about a creature that doesn't exist at all?_

Surrounding himself in a vibrant green light, Naofumi's human form shifted into something much larger than himself. Aqua watched in a fascination, wondering what type of creature Naofumi would change into.

However, before Aqua could ponder, the surrounding air began to _smolder. _There were obvious ripples of heat as things got hotter and hotter. Aqua watched as the source of the heat grew larger, and larger, and larger to the point where it easily towered over Aqua and the toad.

Aqua was given the feeling that she was staring into something so much more powerful than herself, a feeling that she began to dread.

And finally, with a massive beat of the beast's wings, the green energy scattered into particles and the particles glowed an infernal orange.

The toad found itself staring into ironically cold, vivid blue eyes. The heat intensified to the point where Aqua and the toad thought she was melting from the inside out. The creature, no, monster that towered above Aqua and the toad was a dragon with leonine features and a fiery coloration. It had a grand mane, similar to a lion's, very large fangs, and a pair of horns that curved backwards. The wings were covered in fur and with a large amount of fur attached to the end of the dragon's tail. There was a vibrant orange glow that appeared between its scales, as if a fire burned from within.

But this was impossible! Dragons were, of course, powerful boss-type creatures that were seldom found and even fewer lived to tell the tale! Dragons in this world existed! And the rule was that Naofumi wasn't able to transform into a pre-existing monster, or any sort of monster for that matter.

Was this a creature that existed... from beyond this world?! Was this a type of monster that Naofumi once dealt with on a regular?! If so, this would explain why his numbers were so much higher than hers! There was no other way!

As for Naofumi, he laughed inside his mind like a madman as he let loose a deep and guttural roar, one very similar to a lion's, but with the crack and boom of rolling thunder.

** Skillcraft Successful. Druidic Skill Branch [Wild Shape] Updated. Skill Registration: Naofumi Iwatani's Teostra Form.**

Naofumi beat his wings, this time letting out a copious amount of what looked like embers in the process. Naofumi allowed himself to revel in the sheer amount of power that course through his new body, like molten hot magma coursing through veins of solid stone.

_BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE!_

The toad, now cowering under the might of the apex predator, knew that if it didn't leave, it would most likely die from the sheer amount of heat that this spawn of hell was exuding. So, on pure instinct, the toad hopped away in a frenzy, alerting the other toads of the danger. The other toads began running away all at once, with Naofumi still roaring to assert his dominance.

_HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FEAR ME! FEAR ME! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

Simply put, Naofumi was having far too much fun for his own good.

* * *

After Naofumi had, reluctantly, reverted back into his human form, Naofumi and Aqua headed back to the guild hall in order to collect their bounty. Naofumi helped Aqua remain hidden so that Aqua may clean herself from the toad saliva, since Aqua made the complaint that she didn't want anyone to see her like this.

Naofumi honestly couldn't blame her. That toad saliva looked like it felt horrible while it also carried a very penetrating smell that made Naofumi wish Aqua was several meters away from him.

Once Aqua had been cleaned up and Naofumi had collected his winnings (Luna commented that Naofumi earned extra for not killing the toads), Naofumi decided now would be the time to gather some party members.

Aqua had insisted that she write the requisites for party members, calling upon her supposedly superior knowledge of the world. While Naofumi barely trusted the mediocre goddess, Naofumi had decided to at least give Aqua the benefit of the doubt.

Which now proved to be a bad idea.

"'Advanced Classes Only?'" Naofumi asked, deadpanning while Aqua squirmed under his stare. "Really? That is beyond idiotic."

"We both have Advanced Classes and I don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of weaklings and newbies!" Aqua complained like the spoiled child she was, at least in Naofumi's eyes. "I'm sure you feel the same?"

"That is a piss poor excuse and you know it," Naofumi said simply while popping a Good Berry in his mouth. "Not only that, but I think it would be better to help out some of the beginners so that they don't end up staying at the bottom of the totem pole by some of the more higher-leveled and more arrogant adventurers, like you."

"Hey!"

"I may be a person who believes in quality over quantity, but you need to learn to be more considerate of the little guy, you know? Like an actual goddess?" Naofumi asked, taking pleasure in pushing Aqua's buttons.

"I… well… I'm an Arch Priestess and you're an Arch Druid! Anyone would kill to have us in their parties!" Aqua replied, only to falter under Naofumi's usual intense stare.

"You posted the request early in the morning, and now is almost noon," Naofumi said. "I don't see anyone approaching us to join our party, or to ask you or me to join someone else's."

As Naofumi and Aqua were still discussing the contents of the request, someone began to approach their table. The person approaching was a young girl, small in stature, dressed in a long, crimson tunic. She wore red leather boots and a red pointed hat, which looked big enough for her to hide under. She wore a cape over her shoulders and only one red eye was showing on her face, since the other was covered by an eye patch.

"I happened to notice your recruitment poster," the voice of a young girl caught the attention of the pair, making them turn to look at the magic caster.

_Finally, someone willing to join us. _

"That we would meet is a fate chosen by the world itself. I have anxiously awaited the arrival of those such as yourselves," The girl continued, starting like a serious adventurer, but losing all credibility when Naofumi noticed her posing. Naofumi was sure that was the same two-finger eye pose that he usually saw on the Internet. The girl then did an over-dramatic cape flip, changing her pose in her attempt to look imposing.

_Well, this is a blast from the past._

"My name is Megumin! My calling is that of an Arch Wizard, one who controls Explosion Magic, the strongest of all offensive magic!" Megumin presented herself as dramatic as possible, posing the entire time.

Naofumi simply blinked owlishly as he was assaulted by all the memories of his childhood. Specifically, his memories from second grade...

A smile crept its way across Naofumi's face.

"Do you, too, desire my forbidden strength, which is so almighty, I've been ostracized by the entire world?" Megumin continued her speech.

_That ostracized part sounds pretty bad..._

"I guess?" Naofumi replied.

Megumin grinned, "Then show me thine resolve to peer into the ultimate abyss with me! When man stares into the abyss, the abyss stares back!" Megumin finished her speech, obviously satisfied and proud of herself. Naofumi Iwatani knew at that moment that he was encountering a Chuunibyou, in which nostalgia slammed into Naofumi like a mutha fuckin' truck.

_I mean, she can if she wants to. Besides... who am I to judge._

_(Fear not, citizens! For it is I! The Legendary Shield Hero!)_

Naofumi shook his head from the memories, "So… are you telling us you want to join our party?"

* * *

_..._

_Motoyasu, Ren, Itsuki... how I miss you..._

_Three of Naofumi's childhood friends. Perhaps the only friends he had before they went their separate ways so as to follow their dreams, even though they played this ten year game of tag as an excuse to remain in each other's lives._

_Motoyasu was a few years older than them all, and, last Naofumi had heard, he had decided to join the military and was quickly climbing ranks. In their favorite childhood game, Rising of the Legendary Heroes, Motoyasu was the Spear Hero._

_Last Naofumi had heard, Ren and Itsuki both started YouTube channels which became famous pretty quickly. Ren was someone who forged metal and recreated fictional weapons while Itsuki was a streamer who had already gotten himself a wife and also had a daughter on the way. In their game, Ren and Itsuki were the Sword and Bow Heroes respectively._

_Hell, Ren even went so far as to recreate their legendary gear as gifts and for his charity video. Ren gave the Spear to Motoyasu when he had returned from service while he gave the Shield to Naofumi as a celebration gift for earning his PhD's._

_Itsuki... he had actually come down with terminal cancer seven years after his daughter, Eri, was born. In Itsuki's last moments, Ren gave Itsuki the Legendary Bow as a farewell gift._

_"Hey guys, before I go... you know in the legend of Robin Hood, he fired an arrow out of his bedroom window and wanted to be buried wherever the arrow landed," Itsuki once said._

_As his only friends since childhood, Naofumi, Ren, and Motoyasu arranged for that to happen. On the day Itsuki died, just before life left him, Itsuki drew an arrow from his Legendary Bow and fired from his own bedroom window._

_Itsuki Kawasumi was later buried deep within the forest near his cabin with his Legendary Bow in his arms._

_Thousands of people had wept that day._

_But, unfortunately, Itsuki wasn't the last to go._

_Motoyasu Kitamura had been shot and killed in the line of battle a year after Itsuki had passed. Motoyasu was given a traditional military funeral while buried with his Legendary Spear._

_Ren Amaki had been killed in an accident inside his car three years after, having fallen asleep at the wheel. Ren was later buried with his Legendary Sword._

_And finally, Naofumi Iwatani. Murdered because of the greed and envy of others. He was later buried with his Legendary Shield._

_And thus ended the era of Japan's Four Cardinal Heroes._

* * *

**I'm sorry! I cried a little writing the flashback of Naofumi's past life. I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did!**


	4. Heathens

**And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! *Insert Krabby Patty intro meme***

* * *

Of all things, Naofumi had never expected this, but it was too late.

Naofumi had tears in his eyes from the memories of his old friends, which he managed to hide behind his arm. Naofumi had pretended to snicker when he was actually holding back from sobbing. Truth be told, it was the death of his friends that caused Naofumi to be so stone-faced with most things.

The fact that this one thirteen-year-old girl (that was a guess on Naofumi's part) could bring about such a reaction from him. Simply because her Chuunibyou tendencies reminded Naofumi of his four only friends.

"You okay?" Megumin asked, thinking maybe she went too far in her acting.

"I-I'm fine..."

_No, I'm not._

"You don't sound fine," Aqua remarked.

"I'm fine," Naofumi said finally, wiping away the tears. "A-Anyways, you said you wanted to join our party?"

"Y-Yes!" Megumin said, entering character once again. "I mean... well... y-you should be the ones asking me to join!"

Naofumi laughed a little, "Okay, okay, so what can you do again?"

"I control Explosion Magic, the strongest of all offensive magic!" Megumin announced, proud of her supposed mastery of such magic.

_I wonder which would win? Explosion or Crush?_

"Alright, so how far can you cast an explosion?" Naofumi asked. What they needed was a long range support fighter since Aqua was primarily a healer and Naofumi tended to get up close and personal with his opponents. In short, they needed someone to provide covering fire.

"Somewhere around three miles is my limit," Megumin answered honestly. "Why?"

"Well, since I'm a close range caster and Aqua is primarily a healer, we need a long ranger caster or a sharpshooter," Naofumi said, Megumin nodded in understanding. "We were hoping someone could fill that position."

"Well look no further than I!" Megumin said, striking another pose. "You can count on me!"

"That red eye... are you a member of the Crimson Demon clan?" Aqua asked. Naofumi turned to Aqua, confused.

"Indeed! In fact, I'm one of their finest magicians the clan has to offer!" Megumin boasted, brandishing her staff. "My lethal magic can crush mountains, level forests, tame seas!"

However, Megumin began to wobble and her legs suddenly gave way. Naofumi was swift to stop Megumin from having an intimate encounter with the wooden floor.

"Hey, you alright? You look a little pale," Naofumi said. Naofumi wasn't a medical doctor, but it didn't exactly take one to determine the cause.

_Growl!_

"... I haven't eaten anything in three days..." Megumin muttered under her breath.

"... what?" Naofumi asked, his right eyelid twitching while a vein on his forehead bulged.

"Do you have anything I can eat?"

Naofumi all but ripped off his Good Berry necklace, which was thankfully filled to the brim with Good Berries, and presented it to Megumin, "If you eat anything solid now, you'll get sick. Trust me, I had that same experience."

_And so did my brother..._

Megumin swiftly snatched the necklace and began nibbling off the berries like a hamster. Such a sight actually warmed Naofumi's heart, as it reminded Naofumi of his littler brother when they were small children.

_Kai... God, I miss you..._

Megumin was stirring up so many painful memories without even trying. Naofumi will have to be careful around her.

"You good now, Megumin?" Naofumi asked, since his necklace was pretty much barren. Megumin wiped her mouth before handing the necklace back to Naofumi.

"Yeah, I'm good," Megumin said, in which Naofumi relieved to see that Megumin was now speaking normally. Anymore of her Chuunibyou talk and Naofumi might be put into cardiac arrest.

"Okay, now that your fed, can you tell me about that eye patch," Naofumi asked, wanting nothing more than to exact vengeance on the monster that inflicted such damage on a young girl.

"This... is a powerful magic item used to seal my latent power!" Megumin announced, again entering character. "Should I ever remove this, then a major calamity would surely befall upon this wonderful world!"

Okay, so she didn't lose her eye. Naofumi sighed in relief.

Though, considering the things Naofumi's seen, perhaps such a thing was actually true.

"Hmm, I'm not sure if we can handle something like that," Naofumi said.

Megumin faltered for a moment before she looked away in guilt, "Well... actually, I wear it 'cause it looks cool," Megumin admitted, in which Naofumi blinked before sighing.

"I see, but I don't see anything wrong with letting you joining us in our journey," Naofumi said. "I'd like to see your abilities for myself."

Megumin beamed, "I won't let you down!"

* * *

"Look! There's one over there!" Aqua shouted as she ran over to a giant toad. Naofumi's original plan was to properly gauge Megumin's abilities in a combat scenario, but Aqua was already throwing a wrench in that plan by alerting the toads of their presence. Thankfully, while one toad didn't actually notice (for some reason), one other _had _heard and was already making a beeline towards them.

"Aqua! Shit... Megumin, can you hit the toad that isn't moving?" Naofumi asked. "I guess Aqua and I can keep the other one at bay."

"That's alright, this is a safe distance for me to cast," Megumin assured, brandishing her staff and posing once again. "Please be swift, I'd hate for you to miss seeing my glorious power!"

"You're right, I'd hate to miss it," Naofumi responded with a grin. Now to go find Aqua and make sure she doesn't get eaten again.

"GOD REQUIEM!" Aqua shouted, wanting to exact revenge for that humiliating episode with the last toad hunt. First came a bright and brilliant light...

Second came a toad chomping down on Aqua, just like last time.

_Why does her 'God' attack keep failing?_

Either way, Naofumi had to go save her... again.

"Honestly..."

Naofumi charged Crush in his palm, a fluorescent white shimmering over his arm like the reflections of water, before placing his palm on the toad's gut.

_Surefire Series: Heimlich Strike._

In a sheer instant, there was a massive shock wave with a pearl white ring that rapidly expanded form Naofumi's hand. Naofumi's arm was shot back from the recoil, though the blow did the trick. The toad spit Aqua out via the same move he had used the last time, but Naofumi decided to name it. The name was more of a reference, though.

While Naofumi was successful in freeing Aqua from her slimy prison, Naofumi felt the air shift and then turn heavy. There was a large amount of mana being used, which was quite possibly Megumin.

"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark, I beseech thee, coalesce with my deep crimson," Megumin chanted, raising her staff as her mana manifested into a dark blue aura. "The time of awakening cometh. Justice, befallen upon the infallible boundary, appear now as an intangible distortion!"

_Whether that's the given incantation for her spell or if she made all that up, I don't care. It sounds cool either way._

"Dance! Dance! DANCE! I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force! A destructive force without equal!" Megumin continued, her voice and mana rising in sheer intensity, causing the air to become even heavier. "Return all of creation to cinders! And come from the abyss!"

With the sheer amount of mana that was being collected, Naofumi was starting to worry. Why would Megumin need this much mana for one spell?

Wait... was it...

"This is the mightiest means of attack known to man, the ultimate attack magic!" Megumin shouted before brandishing her staff.

_"EXPLOSION!"_

What happened next was nothing short of catastrophic.

It was an explosion large and powerful enough to make Naofumi feel as if several Teostra and Lunastra had bonded all at once in a single area. There was nothing left of the toad or the area it was in. Just nothing more than a massive crater of smoldering dirt and carbonized stone.

_Sweet Christ on a goddamn crucifix..._

"Megumin," Naofumi called, looking over to the Arch Wizard, only to see her lying flat on her face and toad closing in on her. "Megumin, get up! We still have toads to defeat!"

Megumin looked up at Naofumi, "I apologize, but I cannot," Megumin replied, trying to sound as cool as possible. "My Explosion Magic takes up a lot of mana for anyone to use. Mana that I don't have at the moment, so every time I cast, it leaves me... indisposed."

"You can explain later!" Naofumi said, too focused on the toad that was making a beeline towards Megumin, as it had probably recognized her as the bigger threat.

_Fuck it! If I can turn into Teostra, lets see if this will work!_

Naofumi concentrated once again, growing in size and was covered in a film of green light. Naofumi's humanoid shape morphed into something with a more slim and upright body.

However, in stark contrast to Teostra's smoldering presence, the air around Naofumi instead went still and cold, with frost visibly manifesting on the grass and trees. Aqua and Megumin watched in stunned silence as the place grew colder and colder, much to the toad's dismay.

The funny thing about frogs and toads is that they're cold-blooded, so their body temperatures take on the temperature of the environment around them. During the winter, they go into a state of hibernation, and some can be exposed to temperatures below freezing.

The light around Naofumi dispersed and Megumin gaped.

What was her party member was now a powerful dragon, its scales and shell a unique crystalline blue. Its head had a tiara-like crown of small horns. Its most unique and outstanding feature was the ice that covered its limbs, wings, and tail. The tail itself was lance-like and looked like it could gore any monster with minimal effort.

**Skillcraft Successful. Druidic Skill Branch [Wild Shape] Updated. Skill Registration: Naofumi Iwatani's Velkhana Form.**

Naofumi beat his wings, letting loose a wave of freezing air at the toad while Megumin shivered.

Much to Megumin and Aqua's surprise and confusion, the toad began to... deflate? It looked like it was deflating.

Then it fell over.

_Thud!_

Then...

_Snore..._

Naofumi beat his wings once more, this time, an even larger wave of freezing air enveloping the land. One by one, the toads began to fall asleep.

It wasn't long before farmers and merchants began to gather, only to stare in shock at the large glacial dragon that had just appeared out of nowhere. First it was that infernal dragon with the lion mane and now this? Where were these dragons coming from?!

Then they noticed the number of giant toads suddenly keeling over and falling asleep. Was the dragon doing this? And if so, why?

After the toads had been put to sleep, Naofumi had decided to simply kill them instead of moving them, since moving them would be a huge hassle and they would most likely come back again to feed.

Using his lance-like tail, Naofumi pierced the toads through their brains in order to kill them as painlessly as possible. Naofumi strided over to Aqua and Megumin.

_"Place Megumin on my back,"_ Naofumi said, his voice tumbling lower than normal. _"I will bring her back to Axel."_

Aqua didn't say a word. She simply did as told and placed Megumin on Naofumi's scaled back.

Naofumi didn't fly, even though he wanted to so badly. But Naofumi's cargo was quite fragile at the moment and he needed to move with care to make sure Megumin stayed on board.

"I never imagined you could turn into a dragon," Megumin said. "How can you do that? Even if you're an Arch Druid, you can't turn into a monster."

_"I can't turn into an _existing _monster," _Naofumi said, much to Megumin's shock. _"The monster I turned into doesn't exist in this world. Thus, I can turn into it."_

"What was it called?"

_"Velkhana."_

* * *

Getting back at the guild was... complicated.

For one, it was obviously alarming to the citizens of Axel that a dragon with icy armor was strolling through like it owned the place. Second came confusion due to the fact that there was a thirteen-year-old Arch Wizard laying on top of the dragon and sleeping rather soundly in spite of the situation she was in.

But third came even more alarm as several higher-level adventurers brandished there weapons at the dragon in equal parts fear and greed. Greed was present due to the fact that dragon scales would make for immensely powerful armor and the soul of a dragon would bring them up a full ten levels. Fear was present simply because dragons were one of the most powerful monsters to ever exist and that it would normally require an army.

And even if the dragon were defeated by said army, the army would constantly argue over who should get the scales and soul, even if it should go to the person who laid the final blow.

_"Stay your weapons," _quoth the dragon, much to the shock of the villagers and adventurers. _"I am a member of the guild and I am bringing one of my party members back."_

Silence permeated the area.

This dragon was a member of the guild?!

"You're lying!"

"We don't have a dragon in our guild!"

The more greedy adventurers cried out protests in the hopes that the dragon would attack, that way they were free to engage it and potentially reap the rewards from such a rare and powerful monster.

The fearful ones said nothing, nothing more then simply sheathing their weapons and fast-walking the other way.

_"Hmm, if you will not move out of my way, then I shall simply have to find a detour," _spoke the dragon as he spread icy wings. Icy wings that beat once and the dragon was already over the crowd of adventurers, again strolling towards the guild hall.

This time, Naofumi took longer strides to get to the guild faster. He seriously didn't want to deal with those types of adventurers. Besides, he had Megumin's apparent obsession with Explosion Magic to deal with.

Using only that one spell was a bad deal, plain and simple.

* * *

They had finally made it back at the guild, with Megumin back on her feet and Naofumi shifting out of his Velkhana form (far from prying eyes, of course).

Now to finally address an issue.

"Simply put, you can't just use Explosion," Naofumi said, much to Megumin's horror. "Do you want to know why?"

"... yes?"

"Well, for one, what you just did back at the field was not only a risk to you, but it was immensely excessive," Naofumi said, raising a finger. "You could've damaged someone's own home or crops and livestock, thus ruining their livelihoods."

Megumin at least had the decency to look ashamed.

"But, I'm more worried about the fact that you leave yourself helpless and easy prey to the enemy considering the sheer amount of mana you use for one spell."

"But-"

"No buts. I can't have a teammate who leaves themselves helpless on the first go," Naofumi interrupted. "If you don't want to use any other spells, then what about making explosions in small doses? Instead, you make small explosions that are effective at long range, but they don't endanger innocent people and or your teammates."

"Why?"

"Well, it would not only, again, be effective, but you also only spend a small portion of mana," Naofumi explained while satisfied to see that realization was dawning on Megumin.

"And I wouldn't constantly be putting myself out of commission!" Megumin said in response to Naofumi's flawless logic. "I can still use explosions while not being totally useless!"

Naofumi sighed, "I never said you were useless, but I just don't want to put you at risk," Naofumi said, making Megumin happy about the fact that he cared more about her safety than his own agenda. "I need to go feed my animals. In the meantime, think about what I said and hopefully you'll take them to heart. I'll see you in a bit."

Megumin nodded while gorging herself on some more steak that Naofumi himself had cooked. Naofumi was kind enough to help the chefs with the cooking and even showed them some tips and tricks on how to be a more efficient cook.

Luna was happy about this and, apparently, the chefs paid Naofumi a hefty sum for his help.

Naofumi was about to enter the Victorian-style building when he heard the clip and clop of horse hooves and the...

_Clink! Clang!_

Doctor Naofumi Iwatani, for the first time since coming to this new world, felt dread rise in his chest and grasp his heart in a vice.

_Are those... shackles?! Please, don't tell me..._

Naofumi steeled his nerve and turned to look at the main street.

Naofumi's eyes turned to pin pricks.

What was being held inside a horse-drawn cart was a large, metal cage holding a person in more chains than what Naofumi believed was necessary. There was now denying, he was looking at a slave.

The person was a girl around Naofumi's own age (eighteen most likely) and with curves that surprised Naofumi to an extent, but had gained the attention of some of the more... lecherous nobles that had decided to come out of there expensive homes. Her hair was long, unmanaged, and the color of sweet honey. Her eyes, while they were filled with sadness and fear, were of the same color, if not brighter. She wore nothing more than a dirty, cloth gown. There was also what seemed to be a magic circle, or a brand, that lay just above her cleavage while her wrists were bound in cuffs the shape of a flat rectangle with what looked like acupressure needles.

But what got Naofumi's attention were the rather cute pair of fluffy, dog-like ears and a large, bushy tail.

_Are those the features of a _tanuki_?_

The _tanuki_ was a subspecies of the Asian raccoon dog, in which _tanuki_ were better known as Japanese raccoon dogs, although English translations of the word had mistakenly been called badgers or raccoons.

As the _tanuki_, the animal has been significant in Japanese folklore since ancient times. The legendary _tanuki_ is reputed to be mischievous and jolly, a master of disguise and shape shifting, but somewhat gullible and absentminded. It is also a common theme in Japanese art, especially statuary.

But to find a living person, with the ears and tail of a pet from his home world, specifically...

_HOW MANY TIMES AM I GONNA FIND SHIT FROM MY PAST LIFE?!_

_(Mocha! Come here, girl!)_

But to find such a thing... in chains...

_No. No! I refuse to let this poor girl suffer!_

Naofumi approached with purpose in his every move, images of injured wildlife and neglected pets flashing through his mind with every step. Citizens parted to allow entry, wondering just what Axel's Doctor of Philosophy was about to do. Naofumi was stone-faced as he looked at the one driving the cart.

The man driving the cart was easily middle-aged and wore spectacles, but carried a very ugly smirk as he drove around, parading his latest catch of the day.

Combined with the obvious suffering of the _tanuki _girl, the sight nearly made Naofumi fly into a rage. He wanted so turn into a much more horrifying Elder Dragon to deliver a slow and painful death.

Death by Effluvium.

But Naofumi withheld the urge in favor of keeping the _tanuki _girl safe and sound. Perhaps he could free her and then make a run for the guild? Luna and the others would understand, right?

Naofumi watched as the cage with the _tanuki _girl was lifted from the cart through magical means and then placed on a wooden stage. The slaver opened the cage with a key and pulled on the girl's cuffs, in which the girl nearly shrieked in pain, but held it back. The action only eliciting a whimper that made Naofumi's heart break.

"Come one, come all!" said the cart driver, unaware or simply uncaring of the hateful stares he was receiving from the exceedingly few common folk that was just in the general area trying to go about their business. "I may only have one today, but this one is in good condition and her appearance may excite you! My offer starts at three thousand copper Eris."

Naofumi couldn't deny that her beauty indeed rivaled at least Aqua's.

Still, beauty or not, no innocent person should have to suffer like this, being bound in snakes of cold metal and branded like an object.

However, before Naofumi could make any moves, the nobles started making bids, each one getting higher and higher, much to the slaver's pleasure.

_Crap! I have to do something before that one of those jack assholes takes her away!_

_..._

_..._

_You know what? FUCK IT!_

"HEY!" Naofumi shouted at the top of his lungs. The silence that hung in the air would allow you to hear a pin drop. "I don't know about you, but I find so many things wrong with what's going on here!"

The slaver sneered at Naofumi, "Oh? And what is wrong?"

"The fact that you having a living person in chains and are selling her like property," Naofumi replied, stating what was quite obvious. "Such a thing is a crime against humanity."

"'Crime against humanity?'" the slaver asked rhetorically. "Are you blind, boy? She's a demi-human! Just one of the many abominations that infect our world!"

Naofumi's heart had shattered when the _tanuki _girl looked away in shame.

"If you're thinking about freeing her by force, then let me tell some things," the slaver sneered. "For one, the brand on her skin is especially designed so that those with them cannot survive far away from there masters and that, should you kill me, then she dies as well."

Naofumi felt even more dread and anger rising in his chest with every word.

"Not only that, but the crests were designed by the goddess Aqua herself, so you cannot break the crests yourself," the slaver said. "Only the goddess could break it."

Unknowing of the sheer hell he just wrought upon said goddess.

The place grew quiet while Naofumi did his damnedest to process the fact that Aqua, the same horrible excuse of a goddess that was sent to this now shit hole of a world with him, was the one to place such a horrific curse on innocent people.

_Aqua, when this is over, I will kill you._

Still, with all these facts thrown into his face, Naofumi needed to do something and the only thing he's accomplished currently was make a scene. At this point, a crowd of the common folk had gathered to see the good doctor in his attempt to exact justice for an innocent person while the nobles around Naofumi glared at him for his insolence.

Naofumi had gone through all possible scenarios in his head to see which one would succeed, but...

Naofumi felt sick to his stomach.

His only option.

Naofumi began visibly shaking while tears threatened to fall, his teeth nearly grinding into dust, "H-How... much... f-for her...?" Naofumi asked, stuttering.

The common folk felt terrible for Naofumi, being forced with no choice but to actually buy a slave, which was going against Naofumi's strict moral code of conduct. Men and women alike silently prayed for Naofumi and begged the gods to grant mercy upon him.

The slaver's smirk stretched further, "She's ten silver Eris," he replied. "If you pay the transaction, you are then given a ring connected to her brand."

Naofumi reluctantly gripped a bag of the Eris he had earned from the last toad hunt. Naofumi slowly made his way up onto the stage and handed the coins to the slaver with trembling hands and a quivering lip.

_Motoyasu, Ren, Itsuki... what would you have to say about this?_

The slaver snatched the coins before placing a silver ring on Naofumi's index finger.

"There, now you! Your new master is waiting!" the slaver said.

The _tanuki _girl's chains were removed, all except a clasp over her neck and the cuffs on her wrists. She trembled as Naofumi placed a hand on her cuffs.

Suddenly, white lines appeared on the cuffs. And then...

_Crack!_

The _tanuki _girl looked down in surprise, seeing a crack appear on her cuffs.

And then...

_SHATTER!_

The crowd gasped as Naofumi shattered the cuffs on the girl's wrists, "Those looked rather uncomfortable," Naofumi said with a caring voice, deeply suppressing his anger. "Are you alright?"

Naofumi asked this as he removed the collar on her neck as well, in which the _tanuki _girl stared at Naofumi in shock. Why did he do this? Why did he ask such questions? To her. A lowly slave!

"H-Hey! Those were expensive!" the slaver yelled indignantly. "Do you know how rare Eight Point Acupressure Cuffs are?!"

Naofumi turned towards the slaver with his usual deadpan expression, "Does it look like a care?"

The slaver simply had no words as Naofumi took the _tanuki _girl by her hand and ran away with her in tow.

* * *

Naofumi and the _tanuki _girl had stopped at a nearby magic item shop with no one around. Naofumi was only slightly winded while he actually had to carry the _tanuki _girl bridal style considering how she lacked stamina.

"Okay, introductions first," Naofumi said. "I'm Naofumi Iwatani, adventurer, Arch Druid, and Doctor of Philosophy. And you are?"

The girl in Naofumi's arms stared nervously, "R-Raphtalia," she replied.


	5. The Good Doctor

**We stans a Tanuki Queen.**

* * *

Naofumi placed Raphtalia back on her feet, in which she shivered from her bare skin making contact with cold stone. The only thing providing any sort of warmth was the embrace of her new master.

"First things first, we need to get you a set of actual clothes and not these rags," Naofumi said. "Thankfully, we stopped at a shop with some decent merchandise. That and you look like you haven't bathed in a while."

Raphtalia was taken aback by Naofumi's statement, but it was true that the slave tunic she wore continued to chafe against her and she wasn't given the chance to bathe. But was it really alright to have something more comfortable?

"R-Really? Why?" Raphtalia asked, failing to notice that Naofumi's heart skipped a beat.

_Why would anyone enslave someone like Raphtalia? Even her voice is dazzling._

Naofumi shook his head from his thoughts, "Because, in spite of everything that's happened, I don't want you to be my slave," Naofumi said, clenching his fist when he remembered that he had several bones to pick with Aqua. "I just couldn't stand to see someone innocent in such pain, plus who knows what those guys would've done to you? I saw the intent in there eyes."

Raphtalia shivered, silently agreeing. She had seen the same thing, but thankfully she retained her purity, even throughout her ten years of slavery and Raphtalia knew that, had Naofumi not been able to save her, it would only be a matter of time.

"But still, lets get inside where it's warm, how's that sound," Naofumi asked.

Raphtalia simply nodded.

Naofumi took Raphtalia by the hand and led her inside the shop. Inside on every shelf was some items that Naofumi and Raphtalia couldn't even come close to understanding their purpose. Strange clockwork contraptions like something out of a steampunk series and other peculiar magical apparatuses that made Naofumi and Raphtalia put their sanity into question. Some were simple enough, like magic staves and wands of different materials as well as daggers and swords in the same regard. Naofumi appreciated some of the quality of the weapons here, thinking that Raphtalia could put them to better use.

But whether or not Raphtalia wanted to be Naofumi's companion was purely up to her.

"Hello! Welcome!" chirped someone from behind, making Naofumi and Raphtalia slightly jump from the suddenness. Raphtalia's tail and its fur stood on end, similar to a cat, which didn't make any sense to Naofumi.

The two whirled around to see a woman in a purple robe and with long, brownish hair that covered one eye.

"I suppose you're the merchant that owns this place," Naofumi asked.

"Yup! I'm Wiz," Wiz greeted, doing a little twirl. "I suppose you're looking for clothes and a bath for Raphtalia?"

"How do you know my name?"

"How did you know that?"

"I heard you two from outside," Wiz replied. "That and there was serious talk about Axel's Doctor of Philosophy saving a demi-human slave through rather unorthodox means. The people think you're some kind of hero, even if your only option was to purchase her."

Both Naofumi and Raphtalia were floored while Raphtalia blushed at the notion of being saved by a hero. Well, she supposed Naofumi _was_ her hero in a sense.

Did that really make her some poor damsel in distress? Probably, considering she's never had any combat experience nor any amount of training.

"Well, either way, I'll show you to some clothes that I can tailor into something suitable for a demi-human and I'll have my bath prepared for you," Wiz said. "But I'd be careful if I were you, Doctor. The Axis Cult, the same cult that worships Aqua, will inevitably hear of this. Enslaving any and all demi-humans is their shtick after all."

Naofumi snarled at the mention of Aqua.

_Aqua, __you are so dead._

* * *

Finding clothes for Raphtalia was a rather simple affair, and, conveniently, Wiz also had a set of armor that was perfect for Naofumi. While it was originally Barbarian Armor, Wiz modified it by removing all the metal parts and replacing them with hardened leather pieces. This had essentially made it into hardened leather armor. The armor had dark green accents and a green cloak as befitting of Naofumi's status as an Arch Druid.

As if to show off, Naofumi allowed vines to grow and encircle his arms and torso.

Raphtalia was given a common set of women's clothes, so as to appear more like a member of the people instead of a slave.

However...

"What?! She had Eight Point Acupressure Cuffs?!" Wiz exclaimed.

"Yes?" Naofumi replied uneasily. "... why? What are Acupressure Cuffs?"

"Well, they are exceptionally rare due to how they function and the fact that the metals used to make them are also rare in the same regard due to their durability," Wiz complained, regretting such a rare item had slip past her. "Making them, however, is the hardest part and only two people in the world can make them, the inventor included."

"Okay, but what makes them so special among all other types of restraints?" Naofumi asked.

"Well... for one, the acupressure needles in the cuffs puncture nerves in the wrists that paralyze your arms," Wiz explained, much to Naofumi's horror. "That and there is a special mechanism inside that makes it so that the more you move the cuffs, the tighter they become."

Now Naofumi could understand why Raphtalia was in such agony when the slaver pulled on the cuffs.

_Good thing I destroyed them. Such a horrific contraption doesn't deserve to __exist._

Naofumi, by pure instinct, looked at Raphtalia's wrists as she held the articles of clothing she had yet to put on. And much to Naofumi's horror, there were angry red spots on Raphtalia's wrists. Probably from when that damn slaver pulled on her cuffs since acupressure needles don't leave such obvious marks.

Holding Raphtalia's hands tenderly, Naofumi lifted up her hands to make a closer inspection. Raphtalia felt warm inside at the comfort that she was bereft of for so long, ever since her parents were killed in a bandit raid.

Naofumi then closed his eyes to concentrate, using an Arch Druid spell he had procured a while back.

Slowly, the vines around Naofumi's arms grew longer and slithered around Raphtalia's scarred wrists. Raphtalia had flinched and began to tremble from all the memories of her enslavement rearing their ugly heads.

But, before Raphtalia could scream and run, she felt a warmth as the vines glowed a brilliant gold. The golden light subsided and the vines slithered back towards their master like serpents under a spell. Raphtalia and Wiz stared, amazed when the puncture wounds on her wrists were no longer there. The only thing there now was clear, healthy skin.

_"Natural Healing," _Naofumi said. "I used plants as a medium for a powerful restoration spell I learned since I'm an Arch Druid. Now you should get yourself cleaned up and put those clothes on so that we can head back to the guild hall, okay?"

Raphtalia nodded silently, in which she placed the common clothes on a nearby chair, the action confusing Naofumi and Wiz.

_But the changing room is over..._

Naofumi and Wiz's trains of thought were brought to a screeching halt when Raphtalia slipped one of the tunic straps over her shoulder, thus leaving it bare. Raphtalia slipped another one over, lowering the roughspun tunic to the point where she was showing off a fair amount of skin.

_Shit!_

Naofumi covered his eyes with his arm, "Raphtalia, please, change in the other room!" Naofumi exclaimed with his and Wiz's face turning a lovely shade of red.

Raphtalia, who had been used to changing in a public setting, jumped from the sudden outburst. Snatching the commoner clothes from the nearby stool, Raphtalia bolted into the bathroom.

Sighing in relief, Naofumi placed himself on the stool.

"So... you do realize that if you try to register her as an adventurer, the slave brand will prevent that, right?" Wiz asked.

"Wait, what?" Naofumi asked, confused.

"Slaves are registered as add-on's to your own adventurer card, since slaves are considered property and not actual people," Wiz explained, causing Naofumi to face palm. "That and word has already gone around Axel that you saved a demi-human slave by buying her, but that only goes so far. If you head to any other country with her, people will think you buy slaves for your own personal gain like everybody else."

Naofumi simply sat there as he weighed his options, "So either I can free her from slavery and deal with the Axis Cult, or I can keep her as a slave and get a lot of shit from the masses?"

"Do you have any direct contact with Aqua?" Wiz asked. "The brand can only be broken by either Aqua herself or by some other source of divine influence."

Naofumi bit his lip in frustration. Aqua could be as stubborn as a mule when it came to her religion and surely Aqua would not ever go against her own religion by breaking the brand herself. That and, even if she would, Naofumi would have to give something in return, probably something absolutely absurd to humiliate him or Raphtalia.

_Either by Aqua or... wait!_

Crush Magic was capable of dispelling any kind of magic by destroying the source of it, either through the person casting or the magic circle used as a base. And since the brand was essentially a thing of magic and that Aqua gave Crush to him as a blessing...

Naofumi had thought about this for a good half hour, with Wiz wondering why he went as still as a statue.

"Master, I'm done," Raphtalia said, walking into the room with her new clothes on.

What Naofumi saw, for the first time in his lives, took his breath away. Raphtalia wore what looked to be a golden brown sundress with a pair of sandals and a white bow that tied her hair together near the end. Her tail was just underneath the sundress, swaying to and fro.

"I-I can see that, but please don't call me 'master,'" Naofumi said, his cheeks turning slightly pink. "I didn't buy you so that you could be my slave. I don't want to see another innocent person suffer."

Raphtalia simply nodded, still not exactly used to kindness.

"Hey Wiz, do you have any sort of device that I can use to contact Luna over at the guild?" Naofumi asked.

Wiz beamed, "Of course! Tell Luna I said hello!" Wiz said before handing Naofumi what looked like a generic crystal ball. "I've got some things to deal with in the back so take as much time as you need."

Wiz left and disappeared on the other side of the door, leaving Naofumi and Raphtalia in the room by themselves.

"Okay... um... Luna, the Adventurer's Guild?" Naofumi announced to the ball.

Much to Naofumi and Raphtalia's surprise, the inside of the ball shimmered like the reflections of water before it showed a familiar blonde from within.

"Wiz? It's been-" Luna's words stopped when she laid eyes on Naofumi. "Ah, Doctor! I heard about what happened in the shopping district! Is it true?"

Naofumi simply sighed, "Yes, and I had no other choice but to buy her," Naofumi said, still a bit sick to his stomach from what had transpired hours before. "Still, even if she is a slave, I plan on treating her as an equal. And besides..."

Naofumi let his words trail off as he pressed a finger on Raphtalia's brand before making what looked like a pulling motion. The motion caused the brand to be lifted into thin air and off of Raphtalia's skin. The action shocked both Raphtalia and Luna while Naofumi let the brand float over his hand.

"I was never the religious type."

Naofumi instantly crushed the brand in his hand, in which the sound of glass shattering could be heard.

Naofumi had done what no one thought possible.

* * *

And finally, they headed back to the guild.

Of course, the instant Naofumi had walked in, every head in the room turned to Naofumi. The room had turned silent as they took notice of the demi-human girl hiding behind him.

_Eighteen years old and she hides behind me like a toddler. I guess I'll give her points for cuteness._

Cuteness points aside, Naofumi had one final thing to do. Tear Aqua a new one.

Naofumi walked around the hall with Raphtalia in tow until he found the big pointed hat belonging to Megumin and the blue color scheme belonging to Aqua.

"Hey, Naofumi," Megumin greeted with Aqua not even sparing Naofumi a glance. "So I'm guessing this is the slave you saved?"

Naofumi smirked at Aqua, who had looked to see what Megumin was talking about, "Former slave more like, I removed the brand from her and destroyed it."

There was a deafening pause as every single person in the guild, including Megumin and Aqua, looked at Naofumi, slack-jawed.

Megumin's mind was running a million light years per second. That's impossible. That's impossible! No one could break Aqua's brand! It was a brand created by a goddess! Naofumi would need some amount of divine power for that to work! Is this why his stats were so high on the first go?! How he could transform into _dragons?! _There was no other way! What next?! Naofumi brings down The Destroyer?!

"And speaking of which," Naofumi said with a fake smile. He then leaned close to Aqua to whisper in her ear. "You, come with me. I have a bone to pick with you."

The tone of Naofumi's voice was low and harsh as stone, in which Aqua felt like she had been rooted to the spot under the stare of an apex predator while the walls closed in like said predator's lackeys. To make sure that their prey couldn't escape. Fear and dread grasped at her while her whole body shook, as if trying to shake free and failing miserably in the attempt.

Aqua could only stiffly nod before Naofumi led her to his animals' home.

Raphtalia fidgeted nervously in her seat next to Megumin while Megumin simply kept eating.

And finally, the silence was broken.

"S-So... you're Master's companion?" Raphtalia asked.

Megumin blinked owlishly before sighing, "The good doctor has made it abundantly clear that you're not a slave anymore, so you don't have to call Naofumi 'master,'" Megumin said. "That and you are no longer restricted by the demands of others, so whether or not you want to call Naofumi your master is up to you. And, yes, I'm his companion."

Raphtalia had paused, seemingly floored by the very notion of free choice, "I... see... and what class are you?"

In an instant, Megumin entered character, palming her face so as to only show her eyes, which shined a bright red, "I am Megumin! My calling is that of an Arch Wizard who calls upon the might of Explosion Magic!" Megumin announced, happy to see that Raphtalia looked dazzled by the display. "I am one whose power is so monstrous, that others have attempted to seal me away! Only to fail in the attempt."

* * *

Finally, Naofumi and Aqua entered a storage area at the very back of the house.

"So what is this about?" Aqua asked, but something in the back of her mind said that something wasn't right.

Aqua got her answer in the form of several vines trapping her legs in place so that she may not escape Naofumi. Aqua turned, only to stare into Naofumi's stone-faced eyes. Eyes with all the seeming of a demon and the lamplight over him casting his shadow over Aqua and onto the floor.

"Let me ask you something," Naofumi said. "What made you think slavery was a good idea?"

Aqua had no answer, only stammering as Naofumi's eyes bore so heavily into hers, Aqua thought she might be crushed under the sheer weight. The walls once again closed in on her, Naofumi's animals staring intently at her with predator mentality and a seemingly psychopathic killing instinct.

"Did you honestly think that you could enslave an innocent race and get away with it?" Naofumi asked once again.

Those words seemed to pull Aqua out of her torpor, "Innocent race? They're abominations that tried to-"

Aqua was cut off when vines circled her wrists and proceeded to pull her down to a kneeling position with her arms being pull backwards and the rest of her leaning forward.

"While having some amount of animosity towards others is unavoidable, going so far as to enslave them, even if they are abominations in your eyes, is torturous and unnecessary," Naofumi said, tightening Aqua's restraints when she tried to struggle.

Naofumi created thin tree roots that reinforced Aqua's restraints. Aqua then felt a smaller tree root grasp at her neck and squeezing slightly. Aqua looked up with terrified eyes.

"How does it feel, Aqua?" Naofumi asked in a low voice, doing his absolute damnedest to restrain his anger so as to not seriously injure the goddess. His eyes glowed menacingly as his face was cast in a shadow. "It hurts, doesn't it? Being completely restrained and forced into a painful position with no way to escape. You've only felt this for a minute, yet the demi-humans you enslaved have to endure this for years at a time. Even their whole lives."

Naofumi continued to stare into Aqua's eyes with his natural shackles tightening on her. Naofumi wanted so badly to give her a heavier punishment for what she's done to an innocent race. And even if demi-humans have done some bad things, should the younger generation repent for the actions of their predecessors?

_But..._

_(The sight of Raphtalia in her chains and Acupressure Cuffs flashed before his eyes.)_

...

Sighing, Naofumi released Aqua from her restraints, letting the roots and vines fall to the floor. Aqua simply fell to the floor on her hands and knees, looking up at Naofumi, confused.

"You know what? I don't care," Naofumi said. "What matters is what happens now."

Naofumi allowed himself to take a deep breath to calm his nerves, "It doesn't matter what you do. I will free as many slaves as I can and nothing will stop me. Not even you. And here's a little word of warning for your little cult."

Naofumi grabbed Aqua by the front of her blouse to pull her up to his face, "If any of your little zealots tries to hurt Raphtalia or enslave her again, I will not hesitate to _put. Them. Down,"_ Naofumi growled while Aqua's whole body shivered at the notion of her followers being slaughtered. "Understood?"

Aqua nodded numbly.

"Good, now let us head back," Naofumi said with a fake smile. "We wouldn't want our friends to worry about us, right?"

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"You're Raphtalia, right?" Luna asked.

"... yes?" Raphtalia replied, unsure.

"Good, well, I would like to say that the Good Doctor has been generous enough to cover the entry fee for you," Luna said with a smile brighter than usual.

"Entry fee? For what?" Raphtalia asked. She had some issue trusting people she didn't know, though the only people to show her kindness for the first time in ten years was Naofumi, Megumin, Wiz, and now this woman?

Wait, wasn't she the receptionist from the front desk.

Then that meant...

"For your registration into our guild."


End file.
